BT Sport & WWE Announce New Multi-Year UK TV Deal
WWE had been on Sky Sports for a very long time...
Jun 20, 2019
WWE has been on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom for almost 30 years.
The relationship between Sky Sports and WWE is now over as BT Sport have confirmed they will enter a "multi-year" partnership with Vince McMahon et al from January next year.
The deal will see episodes of Raw and SmackDown - which will be on Friday nights thanks to October's move to Fox in the United States - air live on BT Sport.
Primetime repeats of Raw will air on Tuesday, with SmackDown's on Saturday.
BT will also broadcast a two-hour version of
Raw
, a one-hour version of
Raw
, and a one-hour version of
SmackDown
on its network of channels.
WWE PPVs will also be available to watch on BT Sport Box Office.
Here is the full press release put out earlier today:
WWE AND BT SPORT ANNOUNCE NEW PARTNERSHIP
LONDON, ENGLAND, June 20, 2019 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) and BT Sport today announced a new multi-year exclusive pay TV agreement that will make WWE's weekly flagship programming available live in the U.K. and Ireland on BT Sport beginning January 2020.
BT Sport will air both Raw and SmackDown exclusively live every week, delivering edge-of-your-seat action and showcasing the world-class athleticism from global Superstars including Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins, Kofi Kingston and Charlotte Flair. WWE and BT Sport will also partner across digital and social media platforms to create new content for fans that will increase reach for WWE and drive engagement across the UK and Ireland.
"We are incredibly excited by our new partnership with WWE. It is the most successful sports entertainment brand in the world, with a rich, fun and colorful history, loved by fans across the UK and Ireland. This is a brilliant addition for our customers and we can't wait to get going in January," said Andy Haworth, Managing Director Content and Strategy, BT Consumer.
"We are pleased to begin an exciting new chapter for WWE in the region as we join BT Sport's innovative offering and impressive portfolio of premium sports content," said Stefan Kastenmüller, WWE Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, EMEA.
WWE's monthly pay-per-view events, including WrestleMania, will be available on BT Sport Box Office. BT Sport will also carry same day primetime re-airs of Raw on Tuesdays and SmackDown on Saturdays, a two-hour version of Raw, one-hour version of Raw and one-hour version of SmackDown across its portfolio of channels.
BT Sport is home to the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, MotoGP and UFC.